13-yr-old gives birth; rape case registered

A shocking incident has come to light wherein a 13-year-old girl from Kishangarh village delivered a baby girl at the Sector-32 Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Wednesday. As she is below 18, the Chandigarh police registered a case of rape against the child's yet-to-be-identified father.

A shocking incident has come to light wherein a 13-year-old girl from Kishangarh village delivered a baby girl at the Sector-32 Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Wednesday. As she is below 18, the Chandigarh police registered a case of rape against the child's yet-to-be-identified father.

The girl and her baby are reported to be in a stable condition. However, neither she nor her parents, who work as labourers, were able to give any details of the rapist yet.

The parents, who have two other daughters aged 19 and 16, have reportedly told the cops that though the girl used to often complain of stomach ache, and they would get her medicine from a private charitable clinic in Industrial Area, they did not think it was anything serious. They did not even get an ultrasound test conducted despite advice from doctors.

On Wednesday morning, she again complained of stomach ache and was taken to ESI Hospital in Sector 29. After an ultrasound test, she was referred to GMCH-32 in labour pain, and gave birth to a child, weighing a normal 2.6kg, around 4.20pm. The hospital authorities called the police. Parents of the victim have reportedly said they would bring up the child.

Sources said the girl had gone to her hometown in Bihar in April and stayed there for about 10 days, during which time she may have been raped and not told anyone. Manimajra police station house officer (SHO) Charanjit Singh said, "The girl is not yet mentally and physically fit to give a statement. Once she is discharged from the hospital, we will try and get details." Neighbours and relatives are being quizzed.

Not the first such incidentA 17-year-old rape victim in February last year had given birth at the PGIMER. She was allegedly raped by the owner of a departmental store at her native village in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Her parents had tried to abort the child when they came to know about the pregnancy in the fifth month, but the doctors had refused. In 2009, a 16-year-old mentally challenged inmate of Nari Niketan had given birth to a baby girl. The victim was raped during her stay at the shelter and an employee turned out to be the father.